1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automobile safety devices and more particularly to a novel bumper for vehicles including an inflatable member resiliently carried on the chassis of the vehicle.
2. Background of the Invention
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to mount rigid bumpers on the fore and aft ends of an automotive chassis so that personnel and property may be protected in the case of a collision. In more recent times, the solid bumpers have been replaced by shock absorbing bumpers taking the form of liquid bags, deformable telescoping tube sections and/or a plurality of resilient mounting devices. Although, some of these prior bumpers have been successful in preventing injury and damage at low speeds, overall protection of the vehicle and its occupants is not gained due to the fact that prior devices have a very narrow range of operation before destruction and these devices are not able to withstand or transmit applied loads into the chassis when impact is encountered.
Obviously, self destructing devices, such as water bags and the like, require frequent replacement which is expensive and time consuming. Other devices which may purport to provide a wide range of impact load dissipation are extremely expensive and require a substantial physical size which renders the devices impractical for modern day passenger and commercial vehicles. Therefore, a long standing need has existed to provide an improved vehicle bumper and shock absorbing apparatus that may be readily mounted on conventional vehicles and which afford substantial load absorption and transmission into the chassis upon impact during collision or the like.